The present invention relates generally to invalid toilets and more specifically to an improved bedpan structure and bedpan carrier for mechanically positioning a bedpan relative to a bed of a patient.
Patients are frequently required to remain in a hospital or in a patient-care environment for extended periods of time and are often not provided with adequate facilities for excretory functions. The devices utilized by many hospitals and patient-care facilities, such as bedpans, require close attention by medical or custodial personnel in order to place the bedpan for the patient's use and to remove the pan and waste material in a timely manner after use. Shortage among such staff personnel is common and thus, close attention to patient needs is not always timely resulting in less than adequate patient comfort levels.
Invalid toilets are previously known and in their simplest form, are individual bedpans which are placed under the patient and subsequently removed and disinfected after use. Use of such devices is labor intensive, as the patient is typically bed-ridden and requires another person to deliver and remove the bedpan before and after use, respectively. Additionally, if removal after use is not immediate, the result is highly objectionable at best.
Other invalid toilets exist that have been incorporated into hospital bed structures. Such devices are complex and expensive and often cannot be used with existing hospital beds. Known bedpan devices, such as a portable bedpan carrier described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,131 issued on May 30, 1972 is incapable of containing the bedpan and waste material after use, and is therefore prone to developing objectionable odors and is generally unsanitary. Other known devices, such as a bedpan device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,632,185 is integrally formed as part of a hospital bed and is relatively complex requiring mechanical linkages which may significantly increase the cost of such a bed. Due to the deficiencies associated with existing bed-structure invalid toilets, most hospitals use the above-described bedpan which must be manually changed by an attendant.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome the above-described problems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved bedside commode apparatus.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an automatically actuable bedside commode apparatus.
It is still an object of the present invention to provide a bedside commode apparatus compatible with standard hospital beds of differing heights.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bedside commode apparatus that encloses the soiled bedpan after use to reduce objectionable odors and to assist in maintaining a sanitary environment.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a bedside commode apparatus that folds into a compact configuration when not in use to conserve space.